Layers Peeled Read Online Free PDF

as making love to him. If he’d stripped
me naked right in the middle of this dance floor, I’d have allowed
him. I laced my fingers into his hair, feeling its soft texture
tickle between them.
    When he pulled
away I heaved, trying to focus. The room spun, and only then did I
notice the shift in the tempo of bodies around us. The lights
flashed in a sequence of purples and reds. A blue wave of a laser
light cut through rising steam that must have been coming out of a
fog machine. Tristan began moving, guiding my arms to follow his
lead. The suave moves and spins and dips made him that much sexier.
I laughed as if I were on the way down a steep rollercoaster. This
night couldn’t have turned out more perfectly, but I seemed to tire
out way too quickly for my liking. Our little Puss was definitely
draining my energy.
    And with one
nod toward the bar, Tristan pushed past the crowd, which once again
parted at his sight, holding onto my hand like it was
priceless.
    “I’m thirsty,”
I explained, apologizing with my eyes for stopping the dance.
    Tristan waved
his hand at another barman, pointing two fingers to the ceiling and
circling them. It was like they had a sign language I wasn’t aware
of.
    “Follow me.”
He led me towards the VIP lounge.
    He sat on a
soft couch and pulled me right into his lap. It felt like heaven to
be in his arms. Soon after a waitress brought me an iced tea with
lemon and Tristan a glass of scotch.
    “I’d offer you
tequila,” he said, passing me the glass.
    “Stop teasing.
You know I won’t touch one for a few years.” I removed my high
heels and lifted my feet to the seat, wrapping my arm around his
neck, and then drank half the glass at once.
    “Do you regret
it?” he asked in a surprisingly serious tone.
    “Never,” I set
my glass aside.
    “You and Puss
are the best things that could have happened to me.” His hand slid
over my belly.
    “You read my
thoughts,” I said.
    He kissed my
nose and took a sip of his scotch. Tristan’s arm never let go of my
waist and I was still sitting in his lap. The smell of him and that
soft curve I felt under my ass were beyond arousing.
    “You know,
there’s still one thing I don’t quite understand about you. Why
would you ever buy a nightclub if you don’t have the time for it,
or hardly ever come here?”
    “My ownership
is just a formality. This club was Kendra’s dream. When I found out
she was using drugs, I wanted to steer her in a different direction
and offered to help her finance the venture, but she refused.”
    “Why?”
    “It was her
way of dealing with my rejection. I’m guessing she wanted to spite
me. My only choice was to get Gabriel Silver, my cousin and
partner, to become a silent partner.”
    “The one in
Vienna, who you said was hiding from Martinez.”
    “Yes. When
Gabe tried to help Kendra and got involved, things took a wrong
turn. He was forced to stay in Vienna to keep his girl safe, and we
had no other choice but to transfer the title to me. This way I
could at least get people to manage the place.”
    “Why not just
sell it?”
    “Because deep
down in my heart I know this is still Kendra’s dream. Once she’s
well, I’m hoping it will keep her occupied. Maybe Julian can work
the kind of magic on her I couldn’t.”
    “Is she
getting better?”
    “Julian’s
hopeful. He’s trying to get her to connect to this world. Telling
the difference between what’s real and not is still a struggle. She
keeps relapsing thinking she’s still captive, but it’s baby
steps.”
    “Do you think
you should be helping Kendra to such an extent?”
    “She’s
actually asked me not to interfere. You sound jealous, Allie. You
know I’m all yours.”
    “I can’t help
it if I am a little, but I don’t want to be. I want to
understand.”
    He took a deep
breath in. “I feel like I started the roll down the hill. Now I
just want to make sure there’s a brake on the bottom a bit gentler
than slamming into a wall.